Heater



V. S BECK Nov. 30, 1937.

HEATER Filed May 29, 1936 F |C .l.

FIGS.

v III I I i 1 3/ 2v 1/ Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May 29,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to heaters, and with regard to certain more specific features, to boilers. Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a heater or boiler having sections (preferably cast), in which all sections are alike but which are adapted to be variously related to provide on the one hand a tortuous passage for products of combustion and, on the other hand, tubular forms for the circulation of liquid; the provision of a sectional boiler of the class described in which a rapid circulation is effected to obtain maximum heat exchange but in which the priming ordinarily associated with rapid circulation is eliminated; and the provision of apparatus of the. class described which is simple to make, install and operate. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, broken away to show certain features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing parts of boiler sections;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line l--4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now more particularly to Fig, 1, there is shown at numeral l a casing within which is a supporting frame 2. Material 3 is a refractory liner. Thus is formed a chamber 5. In the bottom of chamber 5 combustion takes place and it is to be understood that the fuel used may be solid, liquid or gaseous, such as coal, oil or gas. Chamber 5 may be considered to be a combustion chamber.

In the chamber 5 are heat exchange sections 1. These are preferably castings and each section is identical in form to the other but alternate sections are inverted in position. A vent hood 4 is 1936, Serial No. 82,501

located over the group of sections 1 and leads to a flue. Burning means 6 are located below. Each heat exchange section I is formed as follows:

Identical header rings 9 and II are joined by spaced walls l3 and I5. Each wall l3 and I5 is in form identical to the other, but reversed in position, as a mirror image. The walls l3 and I5 are joined at their front and rear edges by flat panels I? having spacer lugs l9 and 2|.

The walls l3 and I5 have flat front and rear vertical panels 23 and 25 (Fig. 2) which are substantially the same width. These panels 23 and 25 are joined by lateral panels 21 and 29, the panels 29 being wider than the former. The lengths of panels 27 and 29 are arranged nonperpendicularly, with respect to the lengths of panels 23 and 25 so as to form generally a lozenge shape, with the rings 9 and I l on opposite corners.

Joining the panels 23 and 25 and positioned parallel to the panels 2'! and 29 are pitched corrugations 3| that extend above the general flat surface of the panels 23, 25, 21, and 29 a distance as great as they extend below. That is, the apexes 33 are as far above said surface as the troughs 35 are below. The preferable shape of the corrugations is right-angular, as shown. It is to be understood that other than right angles may be used to effect lozenge shapes. Circular arcs, sinusoidal curves and the like may also be used. Opposite corrugations are identical but reverse in a given section. The troughs of oppositely located corrugations do not contact one another, thus leaving narrow slots 31 of the order of to' inch in width, the functions of which will be particularlzed hereinafter.

Referring to P as the corrugation pitch, that is, the distance between corresponding points on successive corrugations, it will be seen from Fig. 4 that each panel 27 is narrower than the opposite panel 29 by an amount equal to one-quarter of the pitch P. Inasmuch as adjacent sections are identical, this means that by rotating alternate sections on axes normal to their own planes, through that the apexes 33 in one section will lie adjacent the troughs of an adjacent section, thus forming tortuous passages 39 for the combustion and at the same time retaining the water tubes 4| in the respective sections, the latter being slightly pitched downwardly toward the rear of the furnace. This rotation of alternate sections also alternates the header rings 9, II in upper and lower headers respectively.

The upper and lower panels 21 and 29 are joined by ridge walls 43 which form funnelshaped inlets and outlets for entry and exit of combustion products into and from the passages 39.

Other identical features of the respective sections are the provision of lugs 45 extending from the planes of the rings 9 and H. Said lugs are notched as shown at l! in the edges of the sections to accommodate draw bolts 49 having heads 48 and draw nuts 50. The bolts are slipped into the aligned notches upon assembly and are prevented from sliping out by means of end washers 5! which have lugs 53 providing a grip over the inner edges of the end lugs 45. Thus upon tensioning the rods 49 by tightening nuts 50, the sections 1 are held together and the rods 49 are held in place.

Another manner in which the sections are identical is in the reaming of the holes 55 by means of which the sections communicate. As shown in Fig. 6, all of these holes are reamed at the same angle 51. This angle is such as to accommodate the threads 59 made by a standard pipe tap, or the round noses of special push nipple 6| adapted to form a pressure seal upon drawing the sections together. Thus adjacent sections may be joined by tensioning bolts 49 so as to force the push nipples into sealing contact, and at the same time the endwise holes may receive suitable threaded headers, such as a threaded steam header at the upper set of rings and a threaded return header at the lower set of rings.

From the above. it will be seen that each section may be cast or otherwise formed identically to the adjacent section, and upon assembling the boiler, it is only necessary to turn the successive sections at 180 in respect to one another in order to obtain tortuous combustion channels.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of the communicating slots 37 between the tubular forms 4|. As is known, upon operating a boiler, particularly at forced rates, bubbles of steam collect upon the inner heating surfaces and function as a resistance to heat exchange, thus impairing efiiciency. It is advantageous to Wash the bubbles from the surfaces by a fast circulation. 0n the other hand, the

faster the circulation, the more turbulence exists at the ends of the tubes 4| at the point where they eject their water, that is, into the portions of the sections adjacent the series of upper steam delivery rings. This excessive turbulence or ebulition at this point results in so called priming, or the entrainment of Water particles in the steam line connected to said upper header. This priming is aggravated by the movement of bubbles along with the circulating water because, having only a limited disengaging surface beneath the upper rings 9, l 1, their velocity is high and they entrain water in the steam supply. With the present construction, the circulating water sweeps the bubbles from heating surfaces but, as soon as the bubbles are loosened and entrained in the water streams. they begin to rise and find their way up through the slots 31 between tubes, passing generally in a direction across the flow of circulating water. Some Water likewise finds its way up, but the amount is negligible. More bubbles find their way up because the difference betweentheir specific gravity and that of the water is greater than that between warm water and cooler water. Thus the bubbles find their way up to the regions behind the upper rings 9, l l and there find a greater area of disengaging surface than they would,

had they been forced forwardly through the In order that the apparatus may be entirely adaptable to various plans, the supporting sections 2 are held together by standard structural shapes H! which may readily be trimmed to .length. Thus any length of boiler may be quickly assembled. Door frames are made in multiples. so that suitable combinations may be made to fit.

Cover plates l2 having hooks l4 over the central set of lugs I9 are used to prevent escape of gases from between the sections.

Pairs of supporting brackets 16 are bolted to the front of the boiler to hold the gas header. This is advantageous over the usual circular header support brackets that consist of complete rings or a multiple bolt clamp.

It will also be seen that if any section cracks, it is not difficult to make a section replacement, without using an entirely now boiler.

It is to be understood that the boiler sections may be either cast or built up from welded plates or the like and that suitable stay bolts 38 are used (Fig. 2).

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A boiler, comprising a plurality of substantially identical water sections therein, each section consisting of oppositely disposed containing walls having lozenge shapes, header rings at the acute corners of the lozenge shapes, a corrugated area in each containing Wall, oppositely corrugated areas being shaped to provide tubular forms pitched from one header toward the other. said tubular forms having communicating slots, the corrugated area being unsymmetrically located with respect to the header in said ring, whereby adjacent sections are related at 180 provide a tortuous passage therebetween, and said corrugations being angular in form.

2. Means for fastening adjacent boiler sections comprising adjacent lugs on the adjacent sections, said lugs having open bolt-receiving notches, a bolt passing through adjacent notches, a head on the bolt, a nut thereon, and Washers respectively under the head and under the nut, lugs on said washers engaging said lugs at points adapted to prevent the washers from slipping in a direction which would permit escape of the bolt from the notches.

3. A boiler comprising a plurality of substantially the same water sections therein, each section consisting of oppositely disposed containing walls, a corrugated area in each containing wall, oppositely corrugated areas being shaped to provide tubular forms pitched from one header toward the other adapted to substantially constrain circulation along said forms, said tubular forms having communicating slots of size accommodating substantial cross flow of steam bubbles, the corrugated area being arranged so that adjacent sections when related at 180 provide a tortuous passage therebetween.

4. A boiler comprising a plurality of substantially the same Water sections therein, each section consisting of oppositely disposed containing walls, a corrugated area in each containing wall,

oppositely corrugated areas being shaped to provide tubular forms pitched from one header toward the other adapted to substantially constrain circulation along said forms, said tubular forms having communicating slots of size accommodating substantial cross flow of steam bubbles, the corrugated area being arranged so that adjacent sections when related at 180 provide a tortuous passage therebetween, and header rings on opposite sides of the corrugated areas.

VERNON S. BECK. 

